This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Gate valves are used in a wide variety of industries including oil and gas, power generation, food and beverage, water treatment, and the like. Gate valves include a gate that moves between an open and closed position to control the flow of fluid through the gate valve. Gate valves designed with large bores (e.g., approximately 5 inches or greater) and/or for operating under higher pressures (e.g., approximately 10,000 psi or greater) generally only include a single gate (e.g., a slab gate) to seal a single side of a passage through the gate valve. These large bore and/or high pressure gate valves present difficulties and additional test time in testing the seal since both sides of the gate valve need to be tested. Hence, there is a need to seal both sides of the gate valve, but designing the large bore and/or high pressure gate valve to seal both sides of the passage through the gate valve would require very high turning force to mechanically open and close the gate valve.